High Noon: St. John’s Set To Battle Champs At The Garden

 

The scene at Madison Square Garden when St. John's played Creighton last Sunday. Photo by Jason Schott.

The St. John's Red Storm will host the two-time defending National Champion Connecticut Huskies on Sunday at high noon in the latest massive game of their incredible season.

The game is already a sell-out, the second straight for St. John's at the Garden, and unlike recent years, it shouldn't feel like Storrs South, as most games this year have had a heavy St. John's fan presence.

St. John's enters this game with a record of 23-4 overall, including 14-2 in the Big East, best in the conference. They are ranked No. 10 in the AP poll and No. 9 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll.

Connecticut dropped out of this week's Top 25 polls after they lost at Seton Hall last Saturday. UConn rebounded with a 66-59 win over Villanova Tuesday. They have a record of 10-5 in conference play, and are fourth in the Big East. They have an overall mark of 19-8.

If St. John's beats UConn and Creighton loses to Georgetown tomorrow, the Red Storm will clinch a share of the Big East title for the first time since 1992.

Creighton lost to St. John's last Sunday at The Garden, and they are in second in the Big East with an 11-4 conference record.

The 14 Big East wins they have has already matched the most St. John's conference victories since the 1998-99 season.

PITINO PREGAME: St. John's Head Coach Rick Pitino spoke before practice Friday at Madison Square Garden:

On coaching in this new era of college athletics: "If you want to coach between the lines, you've got to adapt, not only from a style standpoint but everything that takes place away from the lines. If you don't, you're not going to enjoy the game. That's when you should get out, but if you enjoy the game more than anything else in the world, you adjust.”

On how contracts could be beneficial for college athletics: “I just think it gets guys focused on the right things, about improvement, becoming the best player you can be, and not dealing with their agent, looking at other schools during the year.”

On continuing to win with key guys out of the lineup:

“I just think we focus on the game plan, defensively and offensively, and don't worry about who's playing or who's not playing. Just focus on trying to win the game with what you have.”

On UConn having an up and down season: “I think that's true with a lot of teams in the league, no different than Xavier, no different than a lot of the teams. It's just it's a tough, competitive league, and they came back with a great win against Villanova. We know they're very talented. We know they're very good, so we've got to be ready. No different than going Wednesday to Indianapolis [to play Butler].”

 

On Kadary Richmond’s performance against DePaul: “I just think he was flawless in every area. You know, zero turnovers. He was good defensively, good in the backcourt. I mean, he’s had other great games, don’t get me wrong. I just thought after I watched the film, I thought he was brilliant.”

 

On game planning for UConn despite the injuries: “I don't focus on who's available. I just focus on winning the game offensively and defensively. I don't focus on who's going to play, who's not going to play. Here's the scouting report. Here's what we must do to beat UConn from every little detail, every little thing that they do well and not focus on that stuff, because you can't control the injuries. It'll drive you nuts when you go to bed at night.”